For the past ten years I have planted flower seeds during the Spring Equinox to honor magnificent Jord, and every year the seeds have either not germinated or have died shortly after sprouting. I actually thought about not performing a seed planting ritual next year because killing plants is not the purpose of the ritual planting.However, a few days ago, after a particularly trying day at work, a 45 minute ride home in traffic, and the joy of finding more bills in my mailbox, I grabbed the watering can to sprinkle some water on my now 5 inch Alyssum plants, and noticed out of the corner of my eye a small yellow thing on the end of one of the stems. It was a flower ! And there were actually several opening up around the window box planter. We had already had our first frosts and I fully expected these frail little plants to wither and die without completing their life cycle for yet another year. This time, this year, they had magically flowered ! I don't believe in other-worldly magic, the magic I am referring to is the magic of our natural realm. A flower blooming from a seed the size of a speck of sand in my opinion is magic. The only other thing in nature I can relate it to is a caterpillar turning into a butterfly !It actually caught me so unaware that I literally set the mail down and just sat there enjoying these little flowers for several minutes. In a year in which the Gods and Goddesses have given me so much, starting with my amazing trip to Iceland last October, this was just one more little honor that they had bestowed on me. These little flowers on these little plants had changed a rough day into a joyous one ! My honoring of the Gods and Goddesses had been in turn honored !I have often wondered why the Gods and Goddesses have given me such a high amount of attention, or gifts, this year. And almost all of these "gifts", have come after I gave an oath to the Gods and Goddesses, and a special blood oath to the Triad, (Odin, Thor and Freyja). This was my blood of course, I do not believe in animal sacrifice. I privately thank the Triad every day, but would now like to thank the Triad and all the Gods and Goddesses publicly, for this day, this month, this year, and my life ! I am awed at how generous They can be with Their gifts ! But I do wonder sometimes why they called me, a man who has so little to offer. Because of them I no longer dread what will happen tommorrow, but actually look foward with anticipation to every upcoming day. Every challenge they put before me is another chance for me to prove myself to Them and also a chance to get closer to them. If this world is this wonderful, how great must the next one be ! Glenn BergenGo with Odin's wisdom, Freyja's love and Thor's protection !